Evading the Truth
by akjupiter
Summary: Naru comes back to SPR after three years. But Mai has...disappeared? And soon, when they bump into her, they realize, that Mai could be more involved with the case than ever before! And she has her secrets! Rated T for safety.
1. Chapter 1

**_This is my first time writing a GH story. SO please review and give me tips please! I can't promise quick updates, but school's almost out so I should be able to work on the chapters more. Thank you!_**

**_Bold _**_is English._

Regular is Japanese.

_Italics is thoughts._

* * *

><p>Naru's POV-<p>

I stood in front of the old SPR building as Lin unloaded the van. It's been three years since I've seen Japan, the building, and _her_. I still remember the last time I saw her.

_Flashback-_

_I followed Lin, who was filling up the van with the last of our equipment. Mai followed us silently, her eyes downcast. When she walked in this morning, I was shocked to see her eyes all red and puffy, a sign that she had been crying, a lot. I felt a twinge of guilt because I was sure that I was the reason of her tears. _

_'No.' I reprimanded myself as I opened the door to take a seat in the van. 'I need to focus on letting Gene's soul rest in peace and help in pass on. No need to worry myself with trivial things like former employees.'_

_"Naru." I looked up at Mai, who's voice was empty and sad. "Naru, please, please don't go!" She finally said, her head looking up at me. I was shocked. Why would she want me to stay? "Naru, I- I love you!" And that hit the spot. Mai looked back nervously, waiting for my reaction. Why would she say that? It couldn't be me. I had put her down all the time, insulted her, and had given her such a hard time. I was rude as well. It must have been Gene. Right? She always sees him in her dreams. Gene was always kind to her, smiled, and helped her out all the time! Since he was dead, she was probably using me as a replacement for him. My eyes burned with anger and jealousy at the mere thought of that. _

_"No. You don't love me." I replied coldly. Her eyes widened in confusion and sadness._

_"But-"_

_"It's Gene. Don't you think so? I don't appreciate being used as a replacement." And with that last statement, I climbed into the van. "Lin, drive." He obliged with no remark on the previous event. In the rearview mirror, I could see Mai still standing where she had been, her shoulders shaking with sobs._

_End of Flashback-_

I unlocked the door and walked in, coughing at the layer of dust that arose as I moved around. White sheets covered the furniture that had not been used for 3 years. Lin phoned a cleaner and I went outside in the meantime, rummaging around in my pockets until I found my cellphone. Flipping it open, I called Takigawa and ordered him to contact the other members of SPR and bring them in at 3:00pm.

It took the cleaner two hours to finish the entire place and as I was handing her the money, the SPR team barged into the office.

"Naru-bou! Long time no see, huh?" Takigawa exclaimed as he pranced in, followed by Ayako, John, Masako, and Yasuhara.

"Naru! Wow! It's been such a long time! Now we can get to know each other even better!" Yasuhara's eyes twinkled with mischief and I sweatdropped.

"Hello, Shibuya-san." John greeted along with Masako.

"Hey, Naru." Ayako acknowledged, making herself comfortable on the couch. The rest followed her example. I took my regular seat at the front of the group. Surveying the group, I noticed someone missing.

"Where's Mai?" I questioned. Suddenly, the atmosphere became tense and everyone's faces darkened.

"We don't know." Masako spoke up quietly, on everyone's behalf. I stared at her uncomprehendingly.

"What do you mean?" I subconsciously noticed Lin looking up as well.

"She means what she said." Takigawa said grimly. "We don't know. About a week or two after you left, she disappeared."

I furrowed my eyebrows together in confusion. "Disappeared?" Takigawa nodded.

"I came to visit her one day and when I rang the door bell to her apartment, a stranger answered the door. I asked around and the hotel owner claimed that she had moved out not a day ago, saying that she had a job transfer. I asked all her friends, whoever I could locate, and none of them knew of Mai's whereabouts. She just graduated high school and left without any notice." I mentally groaned. SPR won't be the same without Mai around. The others seemed to realize that and slumped back into their seats. I snapped my notebook closed, looking up.

"Alright then. That aside, let's move onto the case." Everyone looked up. I flipped through a couple papers in the file and slipped them out, scanning over them.

"This case is in England. It was a request from my father that we take this case. The client is a man named David Seriam. He owns one of the biggest hotels in England, the _. **_( I can't think of any good hotel name so please, if you have any suggestions, either pm me or type it in the reviews. Thanks!) _**The guests have experienced violent tremors the 15th of each month. Along with that, it is rumored that a young girl, around the age of 19 to 20 has been seen around the music room and the stage. The guests have heard her singing every now and the back of the stage, crews have also seen a young man storming around, as if he was looking for someone. There have been reports of materials flying around and the music room and stage. All shows have been cancelled because the performers have gotten injured. I will give you the rest of the details at the specified place. We will leave tomorrow at 6:00am sharp. Pack for at least one and a half weeks. Meet at the Tokyo international airport at Gate 4. I will see you then."

"WHAT?" Ayako exploded, jumping up. "6AM IN THE MORNING? You can't expect me to do that. I need my beauty sleep!"

"Well, have you not been getting too much sleep lately? It shows." Takigawa chuckled.

_**Whap!**_

Takigawa moaned and rubbed the back of his head as Ayako walked out of the room, fuming. Everyone filed out after her, murmuring their goodbye's.

Next day at the airport- 6am

I lugged my suitcase to the check in area, following Lin's example as we placed our bags on the scale. My thoughts drifted back to a certain brunette haired girl.

_Where are you Mai? I need you here. _I shook my head slightly. What was I thinking? I came back in order to gather my team, not daydream about Mai. A loud crashing noise alerted me to the arrival of my team. The scene I turned to was quite amusing, if I do say so myself. Takigawa was lying on the ground, surrounded by four bags, most likely to be Ayako's with the said person yelling in his ear, swinging her purse around threateningly. The rest were crowded off to the sign, watching the scene with amusement. I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose. We were never going to get anything done at this rate.

"Check your bags in." I ordered. "The flight leaves in an hour. Lin and I will be at the security check."They nodded and an hour later, we were boarding the plane to England. I opened the file and thumbed through it, making sure there wasn't anything important that I missed. The time passed by quickly and soon, we landed about two hours later. _**( Sorry, I don't really know how long it takes for the flight from Japan to England. Pleae correct me if I'm wrong.)**_

I stepped off and was immediately greeted by the cold air of morning England. Together, we all picked up our bags and headed towards the two taxis my parents had called for us to take us to their house. A flash of brunette hair later, I was knocked to the ground and staring into a pair of familiar, warm, brown eyes.

"Aah! I'm so sorry, sir. I was running to catch up with one of my friends and I wasn't looking where I was going! Please forgive me." She exclaimed frantically in Japanese. She looked up at me and my eyes widened.

"Mai?"

"N-Naru?" She said shakily. I eyed her up and down. She was wearing a long-sleeved, dark-green turtle neck shirt, paired with a pair of dark wash skinny jeans and white fur boots. Her waist length hair was held back by a white, fuzzy hairband. Small white hoops dangled from her ears and she had a small, white purse hung on her shoulder. The others had stopped to see what all the commotion was and froze at the sight of Mai. Takigawa was the first one to overcome his shock and scooped Mai up into a great bear hug.

"Mai, oh my god we missed you so much!" Takigawa cried animatedly. **_Whap!_**

"You're going to suffocate her!" exclaimed Ayako. Mai chuckled nervously, running her hands through her hair.

"They're all here." she muttered. I looked at her curiously but she ignored me, hugging Ayako.

"Mai, where have you been?" Ayako exclaimed, close to tears. Mai smiled faintly.

"Places." she murmured. Next were John and Masako who greeted her, chattering away. Mai grinned at them as she talked. And Yasuhara came up from behind her and tickled her.

"What-hahah. Stop-ha-that-haha-Yasu!" she gasped out laughing. Yasu smirked and hugged her. Mai broke away and waved to Lin in greeting.

"Hello Lin." she spoke softly. Lin nodded acknowledgement. But you could see he was tremendously happy that they had found Mai so soon.

"Mai Taniyama!" A woman yelled over the commotion, marching over furiously. Mai chuckled softly before waving her hand.

"Hey, Brittany! I just bumped into my old SPR team!" she exclaimed. Brittany sighed, running her hands through her unruly hair.

"You scared me. This is the first time you've been here in 10 years! Knowing you, you would get lost." Mai smiled sheepishly and picked up her fallen duffle bag. _10 years? So does that mean she's been here before?_

"I'll see you guys around, I guess!" she waved and started to walk off, talking to Brittany.

"Do you know how to get to their house? I don't remember much about the place except it's on Oak Avenue. Big house I think." I grabbed Mai's hand.

"Where are you two headed?" Mai glanced back at the older woman who pulled a piece of paper out of her pocket and handed it to me.

"We're meeting some..people..before going to work today." Mai informed me as I unfolded the paper, subconsciously noting the hesitation in her voice.

_47 Oak Avenue, London, England_

I handed the paper back to her.

"That's my parents' house." I spoke, surprising the older woman. But Mai didn't look fazed.

"I know." Mai replied, confused. Raising an eyebrow, I gestured towards the exit of the airport.

"We're going there now. You should follow us." I started walking towards the exit with the others trailing us. Behind me, Mai shrugged and she and the older woman followed us out the door. The car ride was silent as Brittany insisted on being in the same car as Mai, so in two cars, here was the seating arrangment:

Car 1- Mai, Brittany, Naru, Lin

Car 2- Ayako, Takigawa, Yasuhara, Masako, and John

Mai fidgeted in her seat and glanced out the window with every passing second, as if something was stalking her. In half-an hour, we had reached my parents' house and I stepped out of the taxi, handing the drivers their money before walking inside. The others followed in suit.

I turned a corner and entered the living room, the fire crackling merrily. On the couch, two adults sat, talking quietly. They looked up as we entered the room. The woman broke out into a huge smile as she saw me, coming closer and giving me a hug.

"**Mother**." I looked at the man standing next to her, his face brought up into a small smile. "**Father**." I turned back to SPR.

"These are my parents. My mother, Luella Davis, and my father, Martin Davis. We will be staying here for the duration of the case."

"Pleased to meet you all!" Luella exclaimed, her eyes shining with excitement. Her eyes landed on Mai in the back and she froze on the spot, her eyes widening.

"**Mai? Is that you?**" Luella whispered, stepping closer. My eyebrows furrowed in confusion. How did Mother know Mai? Mai looked up and smiled.

"**Long time no see, huh Auntie?**" Mai spoke softly with a perfect English accent.

Normal POV-

Suddenly, Luella scooped Mai into a hug.

**"Martin, look!" **cried Luella. **"It's Mai!" **Martin, who had been discussing things with Naru, turned around and almost passed out from shock. His face broke out into a grin as he shook Mai's hand.

**"Hello Mai. How have you been?" **

**"I've been good, thanks. How about you two?" **Mai replied with a genuine smile. "**I haven't heard from you in two months!" **Martin shrugged and was about to reply when Naru stepped in.

**"What's going on?" **he asked impatiently. Naru hated being left out and not knowing anything. Mai laughed and Naru's eyes softened a bit. _'I haven't heard her laugh in a long time. It sounds so nice..' _he thought to himself.

**"You don't know, Noll?" **Luella asked him. Naru shook his head, glaring at Mai.

**"No." **He gritted his teeth. **"_Someone _has forgotten to tell me." **Mai shrugged.

**"I didn't forget." **she explained. **"I just didn't tell you."**

* * *

><p><em><strong>So what does Mai, Luella, and Martin know that Naru doesn't? Please review for suggestions and the next shpater will be up soon! I promise!<strong>_

_**Thank you!**_


	2. Chapter 2

Mai's POV-

I smiled and glanced back at the rest of the team who seemed to be waiting for my explanation. But before I could open my mouth, a small beep alerted me to a reminder on my cell. Fishing the phone out of my pocket, I skimmed over the reminder and gasped. I was going to be late for work! I think Brittany realized this at the same time I did because she quickly headed towards the front door. I turned to everyone and gave them an apologetic smile.

"I'll tell you guys everything later." I promised. "I have to get going. Duty calls." I chuckled a bit at my own joke and headed out the front door, picking my duffel bag up on the way. The others stared at me in confusion as Luella stopped me from leaving.

"Wait. At least stay at our house while you are here. It's been so long." she pleaded. I was about to refuse when Luella gave me her puppy dog face.

"I, uh, alright." I said in defeat, dropping my bag. "I'll be back around five!" I called out before leaving the house. Brittany hailed a taxi and we quickly gave him the address and we zoomed off. The man stopped in front of a big building titled _REDWOOD SINGING INDUSTRIES._ I smiled and handed the driver his money before stalking into the building. A wave of cool air greeted my as I stepped through the revolving doors and into the luxurious lobby. Walking up to the front desk, I said to the woman, "I have an appointment with Ms. Fria under Taylor Veran." The lady glanced up at me before shuffling through some papers, adjusting her glasses.

"Ah, here it is. Go right on up to floor seven, the third door on the right. Ms. Fria is expecting you." I flashed the secretary a quick smile before entering the elevator. Brittany chatted with the secretary as she waited for my appointment to finish. Pressing the silver button for floor seven, I waited in silence as the elevator carried me up the building. Meanwhile, I checked my phone and found out I had three texts:

_Message 1-_

_From: Takigawa  
>To: Mai<em>

_Hey Mai-chan! What was with the drama today? Where r u? Come back! Naru's going crazy without his tea! X(_

I chuckled a bit at that one and typed back a quick response.

_From: Mai_  
><em>To: Takigawa <em>

_Haha. I'll tell u when I get back. I'm at work, FYI. As for Naru...deal with him for now. I'll make his precious tea when he gets home. ;)_

_Message 2-_

_From: Yasuhara  
>To: Mai<em>

_Mai, this time for the case that we have, I need to go to the library and everyone's to busy to tell me. ;( Do u know where it is?_

_From: Mai  
><em>_To: Yasuhara_

_Umm, from the house, go down the lane and take a left and then a right. It's a huge building so you shouldn't be able to miss it._

_Message 3-_

_From: Naru  
><em>_To: Mai_

_Mai, you owe me a big explanation along with a big cup of tea. _

I didn't reply to that one. The elevator doors opened and I walked outside, knocking softly on the door. Hearing a small 'come in', I twisted the handle and stepped into the office. A young lady, around twenty-two, was seated at the desk in the middle of the room. She smiled at the sight of me and stood up, holding her hand out.

"**Amber Fria**." When she spoke, I was amazed at how soft her voice was. I shook her outstretched hand.

"**Taylor Veran. I'm pleased to meet yo**u." I gave her a small smile, all of a sudden nervous. Here I was, standing in front of the most known singer in the world, trying to get some of my songs recorded! Yes, you heard right. Me, Mai Taniyama (aka Taylor Veran), is a professional singer.

"**Taylor,**" Ms. Fria started, snapping me out of my thoughts. "**Before we begin, I would like to know a little bit about you.**" **"No, not anything on your resumes, but how you became a singer. Your motivation, how you began." **She refused my offered resumes and I slipped them back in my bag before starting.

"**Well, Ms. Fria-**"

"**Call me Amber. Ms. Fria makes me sound old.**" I smiled and continued where I had left off.

"**Well, Amber, three years ago, I used to work at a company in Japan called SPR, focusing on spirits and things like that. My work as an assistant gave me a good salary and I was pleased with the job, even though most of the cases we took scared me quite a bit. But, my boss and his other assistant were coming back to England, which was where they lived. I had fallen in love with my boss and was quite depressed at the prospect of never seeing him again. So, on their last day in Japan, I confessed my love for him, only to be rejected harshly. He then left, leaving me heartbroken with no job and only a little money, barely enough to pay my apartment fees. As I was searching for a new job two days later, I found a small club that had an open spot as a singer."**

**"Of course, I jumped at the job and soon, I had different shifts each day and the pay allowed me to live quite nicely. Then my agent, Brittany, came to the club one night and offered to be my agent. She saw the talent in me which I didn't. Soon enough, I was doing a concert a month and creating new songs for my fans. A little while ago, Brittany found an empty spot in the Redwood Industries that she f****igured I could do. So she rushed me over here and here I am." **I finished. Amber was silent for a minute or two before leaning back in her chair again.

"**Why did you look for a job at such a young age?**" I smiled sadly.

**"My parents had died when I was younger so I needed money to support myself.**"

"**Such great potential..."** Amber murmured to herself, before turning to me again. **"I think you will do, but I need you to show me some of your songs. Do you have some time now to do so?" **

**"Yes, I have quite a bit of time before I go." **Amber stood up, smoothing her skirt.

**"Then it's settled. Come with me." **She ordered and I followed her out the door and into another room two floors down. It looked like a recording studio with mics, a DJ system, and some instruments, mainly guitars. A glass window revealed another room in which the singer would go into.

"**What instrument would you like to play three songs with?" **She questioned. My eyes scanned the room and landed on an acoustic guitar. Perfect. Picking it up, I made my way into the other room and switched on the mike. From the other side of the window, Amber nodded her head at me to begin. Strumming the guitar lightly, I took a deep breath in, and started to sing. **(Please read through the first song. I think it really fits her life...)**

**Haunted: by Taylor Swift-**

_You and I walk a fragile line_  
><em>I have known it all this time<em>  
><em>But I never thought I'd live to see it break<em>

_It's getting dark, and it's all too quiet_  
><em>And I can't trust anything now<em>  
><em>And it's coming over you like it's all a big mistake<em>

_Oh, I'm holding my breath_  
><em>Won't lose you again<em>  
><em>Something's made your eyes go cold<em>

_Come on, come on, don't leave me like this_  
><em>I thought I had you figured out<em>  
><em>Something's gone terribly wrong<em>  
><em>You're all I wanted<em>

_Come on, come on, don't leave me like this_  
><em>I thought I had you figured out<em>  
><em>Can't breathe whenever you're gone<em>  
><em>Can't turn back now, I'm haunted<em>

_Stood there and watched you walk away_  
><em>From everything we had<em>  
><em>But I still mean every word I said to you<em>

_He would try to take away my pain_  
><em>And he just might make me smile<em>  
><em>But the whole time I'm wishing he was you instead<em>_  
><em>  
><em>Oh, I'm holding my breath<em>  
><em>Won't see you again<em>  
><em>Something keeps me holding on to nothing<em>

_Come on, come on, don't leave me like this_  
><em>I thought I had you figured out<em>  
><em>Something's gone terribly wrong<em>  
><em>You're all I wanted<em>

_Come on, come on, don't leave me like this_  
><em>I thought I had you figured out<em>  
><em>Can't breathe whenever you're gone<em>  
><em>Can't turn back now, I'm haunted<em>

_I know, I know_  
><em>I just know<em>  
><em>You're not gone<em>  
><em>You can't be gone, no<em>

_Come on, come on, don't leave me like this_  
><em>I thought I had you figured out<em>  
><em>Something's gone terribly wrong<em>  
><em>Won't finish what you started<em>

_Come on, come on, don't leave me like this_  
><em>I thought I had you figured out<em>  
><em>Can't breathe whenever you're gone<em>  
><em>Can't go back, I'm haunted<em>

_You and I walk a fragile line_  
><em>I have known it all this time<em>  
><em>Never ever thought I'd see it break<em>  
><em>Never thought I'd see it<em>

I closed my eyes and sighed, strumming the last chord before taking a a quick glance at Amber who was scribbling something down on a notepad. She gave a nod and I started my next song.

**Bleeding Love: by Leona Lewis-**

_Closed off from love_  
><em>I didn't need the pain<em>  
><em>Once or twice was enough<em>  
><em>And it was all in vain<em>  
><em>Time starts to pass<em>  
><em>Before you know it you're frozen<em>

_Ooooh..._

_But something happened_  
><em>For the very first time with you<em>  
><em>My heart melted to the ground<em>  
><em>Found something true<em>  
><em>And everyone's looking 'round<em>  
><em>Thinking I'm going crazy<em>

_Oooh, yahhh_

_But I don't care what they say_  
><em>I'm in love with you<em>  
><em>They try to pull me away<em>  
><em>But they don't know the truth<em>  
><em>My heart's crippled by the vein<em>  
><em>That I keep on closing<em>  
><em>You cut me open and I<em>

_Keep bleeding_  
><em>Keep, keep bleeding love<em>  
><em>I keep bleeding<em>  
><em>I keep, keep bleeding love<em>  
><em>Keep bleeding<em>  
><em>Keep, keep bleeding love<em>  
><em>You cut me open<em>

_Oooh, oooh..._

_Trying hard not to hear_  
><em>But they talk so loud<em>  
><em>Their piercing sounds fill my ears<em>  
><em>Try to fill me with doubt<em>  
><em>Yet I know that their goal<em>  
><em>Is to keep me from falling<em>

_Hey, yeah!__  
><em>_But nothing's greater_  
><em>Than the rush that comes with your embrace<em>  
><em>And in this world of loneliness<em>  
><em>I see your face<em>  
><em>Yet everyone around me<em>  
><em>Thinks that I'm going crazy<em>  
><em>Maybe, maybe<em>

_But I don't care what they say_  
><em>I'm in love with you<em>  
><em>They try to pull me away<em>  
><em>But they don't know the truth<em>  
><em>My heart's crippled by the vein<em>  
><em>That I keep on closing<em>  
><em>You cut me open and I<em>

_Keep bleeding_  
><em>Keep, keep bleeding love<em>  
><em>I keep bleeding<em>  
><em>I keep, keep bleeding love<em>  
><em>Keep bleeding<em>  
><em>Keep, keep bleeding love<em>  
><em>You cut me open<em>

_And it's draining all of me_  
><em>Oh they find it hard to believe<em>  
><em>I'll be wearing these scars<em>  
><em>For everyone to see<em>

_I don't care what they say_  
><em>I'm in love with you<em>  
><em>They try to pull me away<em>  
><em>But they don't know the truth<em>  
><em>My heart's crippled by the pain<em>  
><em>That I keep all closed in<em>  
><em>You cut me open and I<em>

_Keep bleeding_  
><em>Keep, keep bleeding love<em>  
><em>I keep bleeding<em>  
><em>I keep, keep bleeding love<em>  
><em>Keep bleeding<em>  
><em>Keep, keep bleeding love<em>  
><em>You cut me open and I<em>

_Keep bleeding_  
><em>Keep, keep bleeding love<em>  
><em>I keep bleeding<em>  
><em>I keep, keep bleeding love<em>  
><em>Keep bleeding<em>  
><em>Keep, keep bleeding love<em>  
><em>You cut me open and I<em>  
><em>Keep bleeding<em>  
><em>Keep, keep bleeding lov<em>e

Without waiting for the okay, I took a deep breath and started on my last song.

**Change: by Taylor Swift-**

_And it's a sad picture, the final blow hits you_  
><em>Somebody else gets what you wanted again<em>  
><em>You know it's all the same, another time and place<em>  
><em>Repeating history and you?re getting sick of it<em>

_But I believe in whatever you do_  
><em>And I'll do anything to see it through<em>

_Because these things will change, can you feel it now?_  
><em>These walls that they put up to hold us back will fall down<em>  
><em>It's a revolution, the time will come for us to finally win<em>

_We'll sing hallelujah!_  
><em>We'll sing hallelujah! Oh<em>

_So we've been outnumbered, raided and now cornered_  
><em>It's hard to fight when the fight ain't fair<em>  
><em>We're getting stronger now from things they never found<em>  
><em>They might be bigger but we're faster and never scared<em>

_You can walk away and say we don't need this__  
><em>_But there's something in your eyes says we can beat this_

_'Cause these things will change, can you feel it now?_  
><em>These walls that they put up to hold us back will fall down<em>  
><em>It's a revolution, the time will come for us to finally win<em>

_We'll sing hallelujah!_  
><em>We'll sing hallelujah! Oh<em>

_Tonight we standed on our knees_  
><em>To fight for what we worked for all these years<em>  
><em>And the battle was long, it's the fight of our lives<em>  
><em>Will we stand up champions tonight?<em>

_It was the night things changed, can you see it now?_  
><em>These walls that they put up to hold us back fell down<em>  
><em>It's a revolution, throw your hands up, 'cause we never gave in<em>

_We'll sing hallelujah!_  
><em>We sang hallelujah!<em>  
><em>Hallelujah!<em>

I stopped and sighed, running my hand through my long hair. Stepping outside of the room, I was faced with a huge crowd of people that I didn't know. They all paused, and applauded with big grins on their faces. As they filed out of the room, a lot of them paused and shook my hand, saying they were looking forward to working with me, or, you have such a great voice! Once the room was empty, I saw Amber standing on the side of the room, obviously pleased the crowd had dispersed.

"**So-**" I started, but Amber cut me off.

"**Very nice. I think this company needs someone like you working with us. Oh, and that first song, written after your boss' leave? Hmm, nice.**" she proclaimed. I nodded, shocked at her announcement.

"**Yes. I did. Do I get the spot?**" I asked timidly. Amber smiled at me.

"**Definitely. Just fill out a couple papers and I need you to sign the contract with us before you can go."** I nodded again, and followed her back into the office where she handed me the contract and the other sheet I needed to fill out and sign. In five minutes, that was completed and just as I was about to leave, Amber dropped the news.

"**Oh, and those songs that you sang, my apologies for not telling you before, but I recorded them and they were playing on the radio. Since we got so many calls about our 'new singer', we arranged for you to have a concert in four days. I need you to prepare at least fifteen songs for the concert." **I gaped at the woman. _Radio? Concert? 4 days? FIFTEEN SONGS? _This was way too much information for my poor head.

"**Um, alright then. Oh, and I'm sorry, but nobody knows that I am a singer. During all my concerts, I wear a specially crafted mask. Hope that isn't any trouble..." **I explained. Amber nodded before assuring me no one would hear a thing. I thanked her before stumbling out the building and informing Brittany about the new concert plans. I was still a little shaken up by the sudden news so before going straight to the Davis' house, I stopped by a tea shop and drank a whole cup of strong, black tea, buying some other flavors for Naru as well. As soon as I entered the Davis house, after seeing Brittany off (who insisted on staying in an apartment), I was immediately clung to by Bou-san and Yasu.

"Mai, please help us! Naru's being mean!" they cried animatedly. I groaned and managed to stumble into the kitchen, dropping off the tea bags before shaking Bou-san and Yasu off of me.

"Where's everyone?" I asked.

"Downstairs in the basement." They replied in unison. I nodded my thanks and hopped down the stairs, throwing open the basement door, only to find Lin, typing away on his laptop and Madoka flipping through a magazine. Ayako, John, and Masako were quietly either . Luella and Martin, who were whispering quietly to each other, looked up when I came in.

"**Mai**!" Luella exclaimed, jumping up. "**We'll talk later if that's okay with you. Naru's in his room if you were looking for him. Pretty grumpy today, as you probably** **know**." I smiled.

"**Yeah. With all the drama today, no wonder he's grumpy. Ah, that reminds me, what's the last time he had tea today, Lin?**" I asked. Lin thought about it for a moment before answering.

"**I think the last time was yesterday.**" Lin shook his head amusedly. "**Now, he won't let anyone make his tea except for himself. I think the tea is strong enough to pass out a whale!" **he exclaimed before turning back to his laptop. I chuckled and walked back into the kitchen, setting the kettle on the stove. It might have been three years, but I still haven't forgotten how Naru likes his tea. Pouring the now boiled water in a cup, I mixed the tea leaves in and strained them out before carrying the cup up to Naru's room. I knocked gently on the door before creaking it open. Naru sat with his back towards me in his chair facing the window. The room was totally dark except for the small strip of light that came through the window. I sighed and walked over to Naru who still didn't seem to realize that I was there. It was only when I got closer that I saw he was asleep.

I smiled to myself. He probably hadn't been getting much sleep lately. Gently setting the cup on his table, I walked back a bit before sitting, cross-legged on the ground and examining him. He looked so peaceful while he was sleeping. His almost black, ravenish hair fell over his eyes and his chest fell up and down as he breathed in and out. Not wanting to disturb him, I stood up, only to hear a click in the door.

_'No way!' _I thought, quietly rushing to the door and jiggling the knob. Locked. I knew it. Luella would never miss a chance to keep us together like this. Sighing, I moved towards Naru's bed, sat down, and leaned against the edge of the bed. I shifted my body a little so that I could be a little more comfortable and the bed creaked with my movement. I froze as Naru shifted in his seat. I sighed thankfully. Closing my eyes, I smiled as lyrics to a new song floated into my mind. Grabbing a sheet of paper and a pen from Naru's desk, I scribbled down the first couple lines, humming the tune to myself softly.

About half-an hour passed and I was halfway through with the song when I heard shouting coming from downstairs. I cringed as Naru groaned softly, his eyelids fluttering open. When his vision refocused and saw me sitting in his room, he did not look pleased. At. All. Ignoring the glare that was directed at me, I gave him a half-heated smile.

"Morning, Naru." I teased. He shook his head and stood up, shaking out his stiff limbs. Naru glanced down at me.

"What do you think you're doing in my room?" he asked in his monotone voice. I sighed, for the millionth time that day, and pushed myself off the ground, brushing my clothes off.

"Your mother locked me in here when I came in to give you your tea." I rolled my eyes. "But you were sleeping. So, um, yea. That's pretty much it." Naru sighed and walked over to the door, trying to pull it open, to no avail. He ran his hand through his hair, sitting back down in his chair.

"Let's be productive at least. Explain." he ordered, leaning back into the seat, his arms crossed. I mentally groaned. I knew this conversation was going to come up some time or another.

"Where should I start?" I asked myself, running my hand through the ends of my hair. "Well, I've known Luella and Martin ever since I was in third grade. Back then, my parents were still alive and we would frequently travel to England to visit them. Because of that close relationship that we had, I started calling them **Auntie** and **Uncle**. They would take me to work with them once in a while, finding my psycic abilities useful. I met Gene a couple times but never noticed you around during our visits. Luella and Martin always told me you were busy studying. When my father died, my mother went into a state of depression and we rarely visited anymore. Then my mother passed away and as you can probably figure out, all visits stopped. But I continued calling them, informing them of my whereabouts, since they insisted. They offered money but I refused. So that's pretty much it." I finished, shrugging as I leaned against the bed. Naru thought over my explanation for a bit before looking up at me.

"So you say you knew Gene?" I nodded, unsure of what he was getting at. Suddenly, Naru stood up and walked over to his closet, pulling out a faded T-shirt as I recognized as Gene's.

"We found Gene but we still have no lead as to who killed him or why. There were people, but I couldn't trace them. Mai, touch the T-shirt and see if you can find any more clues." I stared at Naru.

"What?" I asked, confused. Naru sighed and took a few deep breaths before explaining it too me again.

"Mai, you also knew Gene but your powers are different than mine. You might be able to find out who killed Gene! Now here."

"No, Naru wait-" but before I could protest, Naru touched the shirt to my palm and I fell into Gene's experience.

_Mai's Vision-_

_I stared in fright the the car that neared me. A woman, with black hair and dark skin was at the wheel. She rammed her car into me and I fell onto the pavement, my pain clouding my vision. She backed up, and ran over me again, crushing my bones. Two men appeared on the scene. Both of them had huge muscles and were dressed in black. As they neared, I could see that one of them had gray eyes while the other had dark green ones. They were wearing badges that sported a car company in England. They knocked my head against the ground and stabbed me over and over to make sure that I was dead. Finally, the blackness of death overcame me._

_End of Mai's Vision-_

I screamed and collapsed onto the carpeted ground, writhing in pain.

"Mai, what happened?" I moaned as another spasm of pain shot through me. Naru came into my line of sight, his face etched with worry.

"Dammit' Naru!" I screamed at him. "I told you not to for a reason! As well as experiencing the event, I also get whatever pain the person felt!" I screamed twice more, clutching my skull. Tears rolled down my face as I faintly heard Naru banging on the door, yelling at anyone who heard him to open it. The door banged open and the worried, angry voices of Luella and Martin filled the room. And then, of course, I blacked out.

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><p><strong>Okay, that's all for tonight. So yea, Mai is actually a famous singer and she has known Luella and Martin for a long time.<strong>

**Please review! :)**

**Just press the little button down there!**


	3. Chapter 3

_"Dammit' Naru!" I screamed at him. "I told you not to for a reason! As well as experiencing the event, I also get whatever pain the person felt!" I screamed twice more, clutching my skull. Tears rolled down my face as I faintly heard Naru banging on the door, yelling at anyone who heard him to open it. The door banged open and the worried, angry voices of Luella and Martin filled the room. And then, of course, I blacked out._

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><p>Mai's POV-<p>

My head throbbed as I cracked open my eyes. I could faintly hear Luella and Ayako yelling at someone in the background. As my vision cleared, I could see that Naru was the source of their anger. But instead of looking cool and uninterested, his eyes were filled with worry and...guilt? I looked around and found myself in what looked like Naru's room on his bed. Previous events filtered back to me and I gasped slightly. Immediately, Luella and Ayako were back next to me, chattering anxiously. Naru hung back, trying to shrink into the shadows.

Another spasm of pain went through my head and I clutched at it again, trying to drown out the noise. When that didn't work, I opened my mouth and yelled, "**SHUT UP!" **Immediately, all noise ceased and they both stared at me in shock. Ignoring their protests, I slid out of bed and ran out of the room, locking myself in what was always my room when I came to visit. After my head stopped spinning I got up and slipped into some long, cotton pajama pants and a simple white shirt seeing that it already was 11:00pm. Since I was knocked out for a couple hours, I wasn't that tired. So I pulled out the crumpled song I had started to write and put pen and paper together.

About half an hour later, when I was writing the chords for the guitar, someone knocked softly on my room door. Flipping the paper over, I unlocked the door and pulled it open. I was met with a strange sight. Luella and Ayako were holding Naru down, who seemed reluctant to communicate, and before I could protest, the tossed him into my room and shut the door. The click of the lock informed me that they had locked us in _again_. I mumbled curses under my breath and walked back to my desk, ignoring Naru. Turning my music sheet back over, I finished scribbling in the last notes, slipping the page into my 'binder of songs'.

"Done." I murmured, stretching my arms out in front of me. Usually, after I finished a song, I would sing it with my guitar, but can't exactly do that with Naru in the room, now can I? Speaking of Naru, what was he doing? Swiveling around in my chair, I scanned the room and found Naru examining my bookshelf and walls. My walls, which were a light beige color, were littered with small photo frames of my family, times with Luella and Martin, along with silly pictures Gene and I had snapped randomly.

"Mai." Naru spoke suddenly. I jumped at the sudden noise.

"Yes?" I could tell he was nervous by the way he ran his hands through his hair and the disturbance in his calm, blue eyes.

"I- I just want to apologize for today's previous incidents. I was just so set on finding out who did that to Gene that I went too far." I raised an eyebrow in amusement. Naru, apologizing?

"It's alright. You didn't know. At least it wasn't as bad as..." I trailed off, remembering the one time where I had touched one of my late friend's jacket and witnessed her murder. Not pretty. Naru looked at me curiously. Shaking my head, I gave him a small smile. "Forget about it. It was a long time ago." Naru didn't look convinced but he dropped it for the time-being for which I was glad.

"Do you think we'll get dinner today?" I asked suddenly. Naru looked at me strangely. "What? I've had a long day and I'm hungry." I shrugged and stood up.

"What _do_ you do for a living?" he asked. I froze, and quickly thought of a way out of the question.

"Oh, I just remembered, I have an extra key to unlock the door." Naru rolled his eyes.

"And you remember _now_?" I grinned weakly and skipped over to my bookcase, which was about 15 feet tall. Carefully putting my feet in different places, I climbed to the top of the bookshelf and picked up a dusty key. I stood up carefully, ignoring Naru's protests, and jumped down, landing with a soft thud. Wiping the dust onto my shirt, I inserted the key in the hole and turned it, pulling the door open at the same time. Smiling at Naru's shocked expression, I walked out of the room and slid down the banister, landing on two feet and headed towards the kitchen. Apparently Luella had gone to bed and forgotten about me and Naru. Mean...

"What should I cook?" I muttered, tugging open the refrigerator. Moving some food out of the way, I pulled out the ingredients for chicken noodle soup as well as the cutting board, knife, and pot. I filled the pot with water and boiled it while I chopped up the chicken and vegetables. I quickly deposited the food into the pot and turned up the heat, stirring it occasionally. It wasn't until I had taken the pot off the stove and put on the kettle for tea had I realized that Naru had been watching me this entire time.

"Do you want some?" I asked him. Naru didn't answer but I took that as a yes and spooned some into another bowl. I set the bowls of soup and spoons on the dining table and stood in front of the kettle, waiting for the water to boil. Naru walked over and slid into the chair in front of his bowl. He spooned some into his mouth and his eyes widened as he swallowed.

"I didn't know you could cook." Naru stated. I merely shrugged and picked the kettle off the stove, as it had started to whistle. Pulling out the new tea I had bought earlier today, I put some in each cup and let it soak out the flavor before I strained out the tea leaves.

"What do you expect? I'm an orphan. I had to learn how to cook for myself since I couldn't afford to go out every single day." I carried the cups to the table and set one in front of each of us before I finally sat down. Naru picked up and cup, and sighed gratefully after taking a sip. I mentally smirked. So he _had_ missed my tea. **(Of course he did Mai!) **

"You still didn't answer my question, Mai." I looked up at Naru.

"What question?"

"What do you do for a living?" I slouched in my seat and stirred my soup nonchalantly with my spoon.

"Why do you want to know?" I asked carefully. For some reason, I didn't want anyone to know I was a singer just yet.

"Why should I not?" he challenged back at me. His sky blue eyes were threatening to make me spill the truth. His raven locks of hair looked silky and I was tempted to reach out and see if they really were that soft. Suddenly, I became aware of our proximity and blushed madly. I looked down and finished off the rest of my soup, getting and placing the bowl in the dishwasher before sitting down with another cup of tea. I suddenly yawned.

"Ahh, I'm tired. We'll talk tomorrow, kay?" Before Naru could ask me anymore questions, I left the kitchen in a hurry, running up the stairs and shutting my room door. After brushing my teeth, I flopped down on my bed and sighed. Why could Naru still do that to me?

It's not like I still loved him after all these years...

Right?

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><p><strong><em>That's all for tonight. I know it's kinda short but I've been holding this off for too long. I don't know the next time I'll be able to update so try and wait! Please R&amp;R<em>**


	4. Chapter 4

**_Disclaimer: I don't own Ghost Hunt...sadly. IF I did, Mai and Naru would be together already!_**

* * *

><p>Mai's POV-<p>

What in the world was I doing here? Last I remember was falling asleep in my _own_ room on my _own_ bed. I don't quite recall walking into the room Ayako and Masako shared and sleeping on the extra bed in there. Rubbing my eyes a bit, I sat up, the blanket falling onto the the wood floor. Ayako and Masako were sleeping soundly in their beds. I giggled as Ayako snored softly and slipped out of the bed. Padding over to the door, I pulled it open and trudged into my room.

"What do I have today?" I murmured, pulling out my schedule. The entire thing was blank except for, well, making more songs. "But I'm almost done with that!"I whined.

"Done with what?" I turned around and saw Ayako and Masako leaning against the door.

"Uh, nothing. Just something for...work." I chose my words carefully, not ready to tell anyone. I mean, wouldn't you kind of freak out if you find out that a famous singer was one of your friends and you had no clue? Yeah, probably. Masako walked over to me and plucked the schedule out of my hands and I made a futile attempt to grab it back. But since I was just _amazingly _clumsy, instead of snatching the schedule back, I ended up tripping over my own feet doing a face-plant onto the floor.

"Masako..." I whispered menacingly, looking up from my position on the ground. She ignored me, flipping back through yesterday's and some other appointments I had. Her eyes widened when she scanned over the noting for yesterday's meeting with Amber Fria in Redwood Industries along with my pseudonym that I use in my singing career . "I- um- Masako-"

"Oh, my god..." she muttered, tossing my schedule to Ayako, who had pretty much the same reaction except...well...louder.

"OH MY GOD!" Ayako yelled, jumping up and down. I winced, covering my ears.

"Please tone it down." I whispered, worried that someone might hear and get suspicious. And that was the last thing I needed. Ayako stared at me like I had grown another head.

"You expect me to 'tone it down' when our Mai is actually- hmmmphan!" I quickly put my hand over her mouth.

"Ayako, if you do not stop talking right now, I won't give you one of the extra tickets I have to my concert in a week." I snapped. She immediately shut up and sat down on my bed. Masako followed her example.

"So Mai, tell us." Masako began. "When did you start this career?" I smiled as I recalled my excitement when Brittany wanted to become my manager/agent.

"You both know how Naru left after finding...Gene, right?" I asked. The two nodded slowly. "Well, on the day that he left, I confessed to him." They both gasped. Masako put her hand over her mouth.

"How did he take it?" she murmured.

"Um, not so good." I admitted, my face darkening. "He told me that it was Gene I loved, and not him. That- that he didn't want to be a substitute for his...late brother. Then, he left." Ayako looked as if she would burst with anger as I tried to hold my tears in. _'Come on Mai. He's not worth crying over.'_ I tried to convince myself.

"Why I 'aught a!" Ayako shrieked, trying to leave my room and murder Naru. Thankfully, Masako calmed her down by giving her a quick reminding her about the concert tickets. Grumbling, Ayako plopped back down on the bed. I cleared my throat.

"As I was _saying _he left. Obviously, I needed a new job since my last paycheck was barely enough to cover my rent. So I went 'job hunting' and found an open space at a club as a singer. I applied and was hired. I worked there for a month or two when Brittany found me. She liked my singing and wanted to become my manager. She said it would help me financially so I agreed. I quit my job at the club and soon, I was recording songs and doing small concerts around Japan." I explained. "I had a big interview with Amber Fria in England, that's why I came here. I decided to drop by and visit the Davis', because, as you heard before, they are very close friends with me. And I bumped into you guys at the airport, and here we are!" I finished. The two of them stared at me in shock.

"Oh Mai." Ayako murmured. "How did you manage all by yourself?"

"The same way I did before I joined SPR." I smiled. She raised an eyebrow, but didn't question me farther. I yawned slightly, due to the fact that I didn't get much sleep that night. Which reminds me...

"Ayako," I started curiously. "Why was I in your's and Masako's room this morning?" She smirked.

"Well, since you didn't get to talk to us much, we decided to kidnap you and interrogate you this morning."

"Correction, _you _decided to kidnap Mai and interrogate her this morning." Masako clarified. I laughed nervously.

"So," I interrupted, "since it's already around 8:00am, shouldn't you guys be heading over to the hotel for the case?" I reminded them innocently. Ayako's eyes widened.

"WHAT?" she shrieked. "Why didn't you mention this before?" I shrugged.

"I forgot." Ayako ran out of the room, followed by a chuckling Masako. I sighed and closed the door before taking a quick shower and dressing myself for the chilly weather: a blue, full-sleeved, V-neck shirt and dark boot-cut jeans along with my trusty, black boots. I tied my hair up in a high ponytail and grabbed a jacket, my bag, about a week's worth of clothes, and some work on my way out. Heading downstairs, I managed to catch up with the rest of SPR after grabbing a PowerBar from one of the cupboards. Naru stared at me.

"What are you doing?" I grinned.

"Well, since I'm not that busy anymore, I was wondering if I could-"

"No." I frowned.

"You didn't let me finish my question." I fumed. Naru smirked, clearly amused by my anger.

"It was written all over your face. You wanted to come with us to the case." he replied smoothly. I glared at him before realizing something and smirked back at him, reaching into my bag.

"I'll make your tea." I bribed, holding the tea box out in front of Naru. Almost immediately, he nodded and swiftly turned on his heel, walking out the front door, an amused SPR following him. I silently cheered over my victory and walked to the cars waiting outside. The seating arrangements were as follows:

Car 1: Ayako, Bou-san, Yasu, John, and Masako

Car 2: Lin, Naru, Mai

This was deja-vu for like, the millionth time since I joined SPR. Why I always got stuck with the two most quietest people in the world, I had no idea. At least I managed to snag the window seat so I wouldn't be bored. Naru, as usual, had his nose buried in his black 'folder of mystery' while Lin was silently driving on, with no intention whatsoever to turn the radio on. Sighing, I reached for my bag and pulled out my black I-pod and put the headphones in my ears. Scrolling down my list of songs, I chose one of the ones I had recorded on my own with some cheap equipment. I downloaded it onto my I-pod just incase I needed it. Clicking the 'play' button, I closed my eyes and leaned back, enjoying the soft melody of the piano before the words came in.

Someone pulled out one of the earphones out of my ear, catching me off guard. I sat up quickly and looked to my left. Naru was calmly sitting there with _my _earphone in his ear. I froze. What is Naru recognized my voice? What would I tell him? But if he rendered the song familiar, he made no comment on it, instead continued reading the notes in his black folder. I leaned back and closed my eyes again. It probably wouldn't hurt if he listened to one of the songs. But before I knew it, I dozed off.

Naru's POV-

Mai reached over me and grabbed her bag, pulling out her I-pod and plugging the headphones into her ears. I took a quick glance from my notes to Mai and saw her sitting with her eyes closed. If I hadn't known better, I would've thought she was asleep. What song was she listening to? Making sure Mai didn't notice, I quickly pulled one of the headphones out of her left ear and put it in mine. She suddenly sat up and looked at me strangely and something that looked like fear in her eyes, but that emotion disappeared quickly as she lay back down. The song was in English, and surprisingly one that I hadn't heard before.

**_Cry- Rihanna (English) :)_**

**_I'm not the type to get my heart broken  
>I'm not the type to get upset and cry<br>'cause I never leave my heart open  
>Never hurts me to say goodbye<br>Relationships don't get deep to me  
>Never got the whole in love thing<br>And someone can say they love me truly  
>But at the time it didn't mean a thing<em>**

**_[Chorus:]_**  
><strong><em>My mind is gone, I'm spinning round<em>**  
><strong><em>And deep inside, my tears I'll drown<em>**  
><strong><em>I'm losing grip, what's happening<em>**  
><strong><em>I stray from love, this is how I feel<em>**  
><strong><em>This time was different<em>**  
><strong><em>Felt like, I was just a victim<em>**  
><strong><em>And it cut me like a knife<em>**  
><strong><em>When you walked out of my life<em>**  
><strong><em>Now I'm, in this condition<em>**  
><strong><em>And I've, got all the symptoms<em>**  
><strong><em>Of a girl with a broken heart<em>**  
><strong><em>But no matter what you'll never see me cry<em>**

**_Did it happen when we first kissed?_**  
><strong><em>'cause it's hurting me to let it go<em>**  
><strong><em>Maybe 'cause we spent so much time<em>**  
><strong><em>And I know that it's no more<em>**  
><strong><em>I should've never let you hold me baby<em>**  
><strong><em>Maybe why I'm sad to see us apart<em>**  
><strong><em>I didn't give to you on purpose<em>**  
><strong><em>Can't figure out how you stole my heart<em>**

**_[Chorus]_**

**_How did I get here with you, I'll never know?_**  
><strong><em>I never meant to let it get so, personal<em>**  
><strong><em>And after all I tried to do, to stay away from loving you<em>**  
><strong><em>I'm broken heart and I can't let you know<em>**  
><strong><em>And I won't let it show<em>**  
><strong><em>You won't see me cry<em>**

**_[x2]_**  
><strong><em>This time was different<em>**  
><strong><em>Felt like, I was just a victim<em>**  
><strong><em>And it cut me like a knife<em>**  
><strong><em>When you walked out of my life<em>**  
><strong><em>Now I'm, in this condition<em>**  
><strong><em>And I've, got all the symptoms<em>**  
><strong><em>Of a girl with a broken heart<em>**  
><strong><em>But no matter what you'll never see me cry<em>**

**_All my life..._**

The car slowed down and I looked up only to see and long line of cars in front of us, all stopped. I groaned mentally. We wouldn't get to the place in time now. And one thing I hated was being late. Suddenly, I felt a light weight on my shoulder. Looking to the right, I saw Mai sleeping soundly. I smirked. Of course, Mai wouldn't be Mai if she didn't sleep. But for some reason, I didn't push her off, instead let her sleep there for the next half-an-hour. When the car finally stopped in front of the hotel, I pulled the earphone out of my ear and gently shook Mai.

"Mai." "Mai." "_Mai._" I repeated her name at least ten times before she sat up and looked around groggily.

"Mhm..." she stretched her arms out in front of her and looked around, putting her I-pod back into her bag. I massaged my numb shoulder and climbed out of the car, Mai following in suit with her bag. The other car pulled in a little bit after we did and once everyone was out, we walked towards the hotel entrance, with me in the lead of course. A young man was waiting outside to greet us. He walked up to me and shook my hand.

**"Welcome to the Grosvenor Hotel. You must me Oliver Davis."** I nodded.

**"We apologize for the delay. We encountered traffic during the ride."**

**"No no, it's quite alright. What an honor to have you all agree to fix our problem here. Please, come in. My name is David. My wife, Eliza, will show you to your rooms."** I nodded stiffly as we followed him into the hotel. Behind me, I could hear the team gasp at the extravagance of this hotel. But I wasn't surprised. This hotel was very famous for it's interior decoration. The king and queen of England stayed in this hotel for a night as well. A woman came up to us and introduced herself as Eliza, the wife of David Seriam. She led us to a conference room with plenty of desks, outlets, two couches, and a coffee table. She also pointed out the small kitchen which was connected to the room.

**"Your sleeping quarters are just down the hall. They are room numbers 406 and 408. Here are the keys. Please, do not hesitate to call us if you require anything else."** I nodded, taking the keys and surveyed the base as Mai thanked Eliza and led her out of the room. Immediately, I went into business mode.

"Unload the equipment from the cars. I would like Matsuzaki to take Masako around and locate the spirits. Take John with you two as well and see if he can exorcise them at the time. Mai," I said looking at her.

"Yeah, yeah, I know." she waved me off. "Tea." I nodded and turned to Yasuhara.

"You go to the library and find out any information you can about this hotel." I turned back to everyone. "Now go." They all scurried off to do their assigned jobs and Mai headed towards the kitchen to make my tea. I sat down on one of the empty chairs and opened up my black folder, reviewing the notes for this case. All the equipment was brought in and Yasuhara went off to research this hotel. Takigawa plopped down on the sofa and grinned thankfully as Mai placed a cup of tea in front of him. _Finally_, she came over and handed me my tea. I quickly gulped it down and held the cup out for a refill. Mai glared at me but poured me another cup anyway. I took a sip and sighed with content. It had been forever since I had Mai's tea and I was positive I was suffering from tea deprivation.

Ayako, Masako, and John entered the room, Masako looking as if she was about to pass out. Ayako led her to one of the couches and made her lie down. Mai rushed over and handed Masako a cup of tea which she took gratefully.

"What happened?" I asked, getting straight to the point. Mai glared at me for my bluntness.

"We were walking around the hotel and when we entered the music room. Masako had passed out in that room." Ayako explained. I looked towards John.

"Why didn't you try an exorcism?" I questioned him.

"There weren't any signs of a spirit. The room was shaking as well, so I didn't want to risk trying anything until we knew what we were dealing with." John replied. I nodded and turned to Mai who was fussing over Masako.

"Mai. Go with Takigawa and collect the temperatures of the music room, the stage, and the rooms around that. Check for any other abnormal activities and report back to the base.

"Hai, hai." Mai grabbed a clipboard and a pen, pulling Takigawa out of the room with her, who grumbled about the work overload.

Mai's POV-

I ran towards the elevator with Takigawa in tow, managing to catch it before it closed. I pressed the button for the floor the music room was on: 12. The elevator was quiet except for the small ding that alerted us to the correct floor.

"Come on Bou-san!" I skipped ahead, marveling at the size and interior decorations of the hotel. Finally, we reached a door labelled **'Music Room' **and I pushed the door open. Almost immediately, I sank to my knees, overwhelmed by the amount of emotions that hit me.

"Mai?" Bou-san rushed up to me. "What's wrong?" I shook my head and gave him a quick smile.

"I'm fine." Without much support, I managed to make it over to a small table and set the thermometer down, pressing the button to start measuring the temperature. While it was doing so, I looked around, noting the thin layer of dust on the ground. Apparently, no one had been in here for a long time. The timer beeped and I picked it up and gasped, writing down the temperature on my clipboard. Bou-san walked over to me.

"What?" he glanced over my shoulder and read the temperature written down, his eyes widening. "35 degrees?" **(Please note that this is in Fahrenheit.) **I nodded, rubbing my arms to give myself some warmth.

"We should get out of here." Bou-san agreed and we walked towards the exit but suddenly, the door slammed shut. The temperature dropped rapidly and I could see my breath come out in little wisps of fog. I edged closer to Bou-san who was tensed, ready to shout out any protective spells that were needed. Something was coming closer to us. I squinted, trying to make out the figure in the midst of the fog that had formed. An old man stormed out giving us a glare that chilled me down to the spine.

**_**"You will finish that show! You have no other choice." **he yelled at us. **"You know what awaits you if you don't." **he gave me crazy, evil grin towards me. The man ran through me and I gasped, feeling all cold for a moment, before passing out._**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Phew! Done. Well? How did you all like this chapter? Please review and tell me how this started off!<em>**


	5. Chapter 5

_**"You will finish that show! You have no other choice." **he yelled at us. **"You know what awaits you if you don't." **he gave me crazy, evil grin towards me. The man ran through me and I gasped, feeling all cold for a moment, before passing out._

* * *

><p><em>~~~~Mai's Dream~~~~<em>

_"**Evelyn! Hurry up! We're going to be late!**" I laughed freely, skipping up to join my friend, Alice. _

_"**I'm coming! Don't worry so much!**" Alice frowned._

_"**You know **_**he**_** doesn't like it when we're late.**" she reminded me. I gasped, and looked at the clock tower._

_"**Oh no! Come on Alice! We only have three minutes!**" Together, we sprinted into the building, stampeded up the stair and threw open the door to the music room. I sighed in relief, hanging my bag on the hooks. "**We made it.**" Alice glared playfully at me._

_"**Well, I will take the credit for that.**" Chuckling, we made our way to the storage room where our instruments were kept. I picked up a violin and played around with it, but making sure to set it down before _he _got here. Picking up her flute, she followed me onto the stage where we always practiced. I ,of course, didn't need an instrument since I was the vocalist. I made small talk with some of the other musicians before taking my rightful place in the front once _he _walked in._

_"**As you all know, the annual music program is in a week.**" he announced. "**I expect it to be perfect. No, aberrations from our previous ones. Do I make myself clear?**" He glared at all of us one by one. No one dared to move a muscle. "**Now, show me what you all have finished by now!**" The violin started to hum and slowly, all the other instruments joined in, creating a melodious rhythm. A slight pause was my cue to start. But as soon as I finished the first stanza, _he _slammed down on the table, standing up out of fury. All of us stared at him in fear. What had we done now?_

_The rage that filled his eyes was indescribable. He stormed up the stairs and crossed the stage, standing in front of me. I looked up at him with fear clearly spelled out in my eyes. He slapped me, hard. I fought to keep the tears from falling. Bravely, I looked back at him silently, waiting for his explanation._

_"**You call this a song?**" he shrieked, glaring at all of us. He plain out ignored the blood dripping from my cheek, his multiple rings causing the injury. He turned on each one of us, bluntly stating how our music was 'unprofessional'. Once he was done, he started to address all of us. "**If I hear this performance again, I will throw each one of you out of this classroom!**" With that final statement, he left the auditorium, slamming the door behind him._

_ Once I was sure he wouldn't come back, I sank to the floor, crying silently. Alice hurried over to me, quickly pressing her handkerchief to my bloody cheek. I winced and she lessened the pressure slightly. I looked straight ahead, trying to drown out the whispers of my fellow classmates. Why did he only do this to me? _

_~~~~End of Mai's Dream~~~~_

I opened my eyes, and was met with icy blue orbs. I gasped and sat straight up, ignoring the dizziness in my head. Looking around, I noticed the Naru and I were the only ones in the base.

"Ugh," I moaned, trying to sort out my muddled mind. "What happened? Where is everyone?" Naru stood up and walked over to the monitors.

"You passed out in the auditorium with Bou-san." he stated. "You've been out for over five hours. Everyone else went to get some dinner." I stared at my hand, ignoring Naru's words. My hand which was covered in...blood.

"ai- MAI!" Naru snapped, bringing my attention back. "I've been calling your name for the past-" he noticed the red liquid dripping down my cheek. "What happened?" he asked, hurrying over with the first-aid kit.

"I- I don't know." I replied, still confused by the wound on my cheek. Suddenly, I was reminded of my dream; the part where the mysterious man slapped me, aka Evelyn. I gasped silently, staring in shock at the obvious explanation.

"But how?" I murmured to myself. Naru turned my head sideways, taking a towel and wiping away the excess of the blood that remained. He stuck on a band-aid and sat back on his heels; his black notebook in hand and a pencil poised above the paper, ready to take notes.

"What happened in you dream Mai?" I tore my eyes away from my blood covered hand and looked at Naru.

"I was someone named Evelyn. She and her friend Alice were in some sort of music school. It was really good from what I could tell. I was the vocalist and Alice played the flute. They kept referring to someone as _he_." I paused, thinking. "Then the man came, well, _barged _into the music room and said that the annual music recital was in a week. He kept talking about it needing to be flawless like last time's. Then the other musicians started to play the piece and after I had finished the first stanza, he stopped all of us. He was furious with our performance and slapped me...er, Evelyn. Right before I woke up, I remembered her thinking '_Why does he only do this to me?_'" I finished, looking up at Naru who had stopped writing and was staring thoughtfully into space. Suddenly the door opened and Ayako, Bou-san, Masako, John, Lin, Madoka, Luella, and Martin walked in, coming back from dinner, I assumed. Ayako was the first one to notice me sitting up.

"Mai!" she yelled, running over to me. "Are you alright? We were all so worried!" I smiled, despite of myself. It had been a long time since I had someone fuss over me like that. "Why are you smiling?" she shrieked. "Oh my god, what happened to your cheek? Did someone slap you?" she asked, glaring pointedly at Naru who ignored the menacing look she was giving him.

"As a matter a fact, yes. Someone did slap me." I replied, just to see her reaction. Because technically, I wasn't lying. Ayako gasped along with everyone else in the room. Martin and Lin's reactions were the funniest of all. Their eyes were all bulged out and their jaws were hanging open.

"NARU!" Ayako shrieked, ready to pull his head off his shoulder's for the second time during this trip. (The first being when I told her and Masako about Naru's rejection). I laughed out loud, wincing slightly at the soreness of my cheek. Gosh, that man was strong!

"Mai, why in God's name are you _laughing_?" Ayako shrieked, once again. I tried to swallow my giggles and focused on keeping a straight face.

"Because _Naru _didn't slap me!" I burst out laughing again. Everyone stared at me strangely.

"Then how do you explain what happened?" Ayako questioned angrily.

"It was in my dream." I started. Once I finished repeating what had happened, Ayako and Madoka were both fussing over me, either about the dream or my injury. I yawned, suddenly exhausted.

"I'm going to sleep now, guys." I pushed myself up from the couch and headed towards the door.

"Wait, Mai." I turned around.

"Naru?" He pulled out a key card from his pocket and tossed it to me.

"Room 322. You might need a key to get in." He smirked while I blushed, and muttered a quiet thanks.

I walked down the hall until I reached our room, unlocking it with the extra key card. Once inside, I changed into my pajamas and climbed into bed, sinking into the soft duvets and falling asleep almost immediately.

_~~~~Mai's Dream~~~~_

_I ran from the stage, ignoring the roaring applause behind me. The only sounds I was able to hear was his footsteps behind me. A bolted around a corner and threw open the doors of the auditorium. I was almost free. Just a little bit farther..._

_Someone grabbed my hand and yanked me back into the building roughly. I struggled but his grip didn't falter. Suddenly, I felt a hot breath next to my ear._

_**"You screwed up the performance. I'll never forgive you!"** _

_The last thing I felt was a stabbing pain in my side, before I slipped into oblivion._

_~~~~End of Mai's Dream~~~~_

I awoke with a gasp and clutched my stomach where blood seeped through my shirt. Trying not to wake Ayako or Masako, I slipped out of bed and stumbled into the bathroom, turning on a dim light. I quickly took of my shirt and examined the damage done to me. There was a shallow gash in the side of my stomach, thankfully not so deep as to puncture any vital organs. I pulled the first-aid kit out of the cabinet and quickly cleaned my wound and bandaged it. I didn't want to worry Ayako with any more of my injuries so I quickly took a painkiller and climbed back into bed.

My alarm rang at 6:30am and I shut it off quickly so it didn't wake Ayako or Masako. I pulled out some clothes and took a quick shower, wincing at the pain in my abdomen every time I moved. Redoing my bandages, I picked up my guitar, my song notebook, and a pencil before heading over to the base. Thankfully, no one was inside yet. Sitting on the couch, I propped up the guitar on my knee and strummed the chords, warming up a little bit before trying out a new song I had started earlier. I started humming and after a couple chords, I started singing softly to make sure I didn't wake anyone up.

**_I Don't Know- Joanne Accom (English) :)_**

**_Started out just as friends  
>Never thought that we would end up like this<br>Now my heart was for you  
>Can't believe that I found a love so true<br>You don't care for me, you don't understand  
>What it meant to me when you were my man<br>Now it's over and you don't comprehend  
>That there's no more now<br>Baby, please take me back_**

**I don't know who you are**  
><strong>You're not who you used to be<strong>  
><strong>I remember when you used to look at me differently<strong>  
><strong>Now you don't talk to me boy, you can't even see<strong>  
><strong>I miss who you really are<strong>  
><strong>I can't see how you've gone this far<strong>  
><strong>You don't even know me now I see I need to leave<strong>  
><strong>Boy, you just lied to me<strong>  
><strong>You're not the one for me<strong>

**Now I'm here all alone, you won't know**  
><strong>Cause you don't care at all<strong>  
><strong>Now I said to myself<strong>  
><strong>That my love was for you and no one else<strong>  
><strong>Still I want you here<strong>  
><strong>But it interferes with the way I feel<strong>  
><strong>After all these years<strong>  
><strong>You don't seem to be<strong>  
><strong>What you were to me<strong>  
><strong>No more baby<strong>  
><strong>Just please go ahead and leave<strong>

**I don't know who you are**  
><strong>You're not who you used to be<strong>  
><strong>I remember when you used to<strong>  
><strong>Look at me differently<strong>  
><strong>Now you don't talk to me<strong>  
><strong>Boy, you can't even see<strong>  
><strong>I miss who you really are<strong>  
><strong>I can't see how you've gone this far<strong>  
><strong>You don't even know me<strong>  
><strong>Now I see I need to leave<strong>  
><strong>Boy, you just lied to me<strong>  
><strong>You're not the one for me<strong>  
><strong>repeat<strong>

**You changed your ways**  
><strong>You're not the same<strong>  
><strong>I wish that we could go back to yesterday<strong>

**I don't know who you are**  
><strong>You're not who you used to be<strong>  
><strong>I remember when you used to<strong>  
><strong>Look at me differently<strong>  
><strong>Now you don't talk to me<strong>  
><strong>Boy, you can't even see<strong>  
><strong>I miss who you really are<strong>  
><strong>I can't see how you've gone this far<strong>  
><strong>You don't even know me<strong>  
><strong>Now I see I need to leave<strong>  
><strong>Boy, you just lied to me<strong>  
><strong>You're not the one for me<strong>

I opened my eyes and was surprised to find Madoka standing in the doorway, clapping softly. My eyes widened as I panicked.

"A-ah, Madoka? You're up early. Did I wake you?" She shook her head and walked into the room.

"No, I just couldn't sleep." "Lin snores." She added with in a whisper and I giggled. "Don't tell him I told you though." I smiled. Lin and Madoka had been married for about a year so far.

"What about you?" I shrugged, trying not to give anything away as I placed my guitar over my song lyrics.

"I'm just used to getting up early, so I woke up naturally." Madoka chuckled.

"Noll's going to be surprised." I smiled, remembering all the times when I burst into SPR, yelling my apologies for not being on time.

"Yeah, he sure is." Madoka glanced over at my guitar.

"How long have you been playing? I never knew you could."

"Um, for about three or four years. I started after you guys left." Since luck was not on my side today (or this week, for that matter), when I picked up my guitar to show it to her, my song lyrics fluttered to the ground, landing by Madoka's feet. I froze, knowing I had no way out of this. My pseudonym, was written on it as well. I really need to stop doing that. Madoka's eyes widened as her eyes landed on the name but thankfully, she didn't go hyper-active on my like Ayako did.

"Mai...what is this?" I smiled nervously.

"Um, it's for my...job?" Madoka raised an eyebrow, understanding what I was trying to say.

"How long?" I shurgged.

"About 3 or 4 years." She nodded thoughtfully, then looked up with an evil glint in her eyes. I gulped, taking an instinctive step back. When Madoka gets that look...I shuddered, not even willing to complete that thought.

"So, Mai." Madoka started. "Do you think I could get a couple tickets for your concert? You know, just for the entire gang...for free?" I gaped at her.

"B- But that's almost $800!" I exclaimed. She smirked.

"Naru might want to know about your _other job_." I groaned in protest.

"This is blackmailing!" I complained. Madoka grinned innocently. I sighed in defeat. "I'll give them to you later today."

"Yay!" Madoka squealed and pranced out of the room. Muttering curses, I packed up my guitar and dropped it off in my room before heading towards the kitchen to make some tea. I quickly made some tea for myself and walked back to base, surprised to see Naru there, flipping through his black binder.

"Naru! When did you get here?" I asked, sitting on the couch armrest.

"Just now." He glanced up and saw the steaming cup of tea in my hands. I sighed and stood up.

"Yeah, tea, I know." Naru smirked in response and turned back to his 'binder of mystery'. Following my previous footsteps, I entered the kitchen and made some tea, carefully carrying the cup towards the base. Suddenly, I felt a chill behind me. Turning around slowly, I was met with the crazed face of the ghost music teacher. In his hands was a knife. I panicked and tried to run, but my feet were held in place by some unknown force. He cackled evilly and drove the knife through my arm, which I was able to raise to my face for protection. Blood gushed from the gash in my arm, splashing onto the carpet. Pain finally registered in my brain and I screamed, clutching my arm against my stomach. I moved to much and opened my stomach wounds again, the blood soaking through my shirt.

"Naru!"

Naru's POV-

I flipped through the case details we had collected so far, trying to find a clue on which to continue. My head pounded from tea-withdrawal symptoms and I glared at the closed door. Where was Mai? As if on cue, she screamed outside the door and a shatter of glass immediately followed.

"Naru!" I jumped up, dropping my binder and bolted out the door, only to find her on her knees, clutching a bloody arm. Glass shards surrounded her knees and the ground was damp from the tea spill. The ghost looked at me and quickly disappeared. I dropped down to my knees and puled Mai into my lap, trying to stop the chronic bleeding. Mai looked up at me, her eyes hazy.

"Naru..." and she passed out. I picked her up, surprised by how light she was, and sprinted down the stairs, calling for an ambulance when I noticed the wound on her stomach. I laid her on the lobby floor, ignoring the crowd that was forming along with SPR, and waited for the paramedics to arrive. When they finally did I climbed in the ambulance after her, ordering Lin to follow us in the van. I turned my attention back to Mai and clutched her uninjured hand, praying for anything to save her.

"I'm sorry Mai. If only I did something back then..." I murmured, brushing her hair away from her face. "Just don't leave me."

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><p><strong><em>Naru's feeling regret now, huh? Please review! I'll try and update sooner, but no promises!<em>**


	6. Chapter 6

_"I'm sorry Mai. If only I did something back then..." I murmured, brushing her hair away from her face. "Just don't leave me."_

* * *

><p>Mai's POV-<p>

I blinked slightly and rubbed my eyes with an arm, trying to erase the blurriness. When my vision cleared, I noticed my surroundings and deduced that I was in a hospital room. I tried to lift my arm, which was ensconced in a bandages, when I noticed a pale hand clutching my hand. I looked up to the owner of the hand and blushed furiously. Naru was sleeping, his head laid on the side of my bed, breathing softly. I smiled and gently touched his raven locks. They were just as soft as I had imagined.

I smoothed them back and stared at him with affection. He was so peaceful when he was sleeping. Naru stirred and I snatched my hand back, imagining what he would say if he had noticed what I was doing. He sat up and stretched slightly before noticing I was awake and staring a him with a slight look of amusement on my face.

"Mai! Are you alright?" Naru's eyes searched my face for any signs of pain or distress. I smiled softly.

"Yes, just a small cut, don't worry." At this, he glared at me.

"Mai, you had a deep cut in your arm from that ghost and stab marks from a knife in your stomach!" I flinched at his raised tone. "Would you care to explain?" I sighed and played with my fingers in my lap.

"Remember how I told you as well as experiencing an event, I also feel the same emotions and receive the same wounds as the person I see the scene as?" Naru's eyes widened as he understood what I was trying to say. In his hurry to speak, he accidentally switched to English.

**"Why didn't you tell me you had a dream? It could have improved the progress of the case so far! You're supposed to tell me all these things! Something could have been done earlier!"** I stared at him, shocked. Did he just ask me why I didn't tell explain a dream to him, while I was lying in a _hospital bed_?

**"Well I'm sorry, _Oliver_!" **I snapped. **"I'm sorry, I didn't tell you that a teenage girl was stabbed to death because I passed out from the lack of blood! I'm sorry I was trying to figure something out that could be helpful for the case instead of telling you every single detail that pops up in my life! I'm sorry I'm just a stupid ex-assistant! I'm sorry that I was no help! I'm sorry that I love you, Oliver Davis!"** I screamed, letting everything out. My breathing was ragged from all the yelling I just did. Naru was frozen in place, his eyes a bottomless pit of conflicting emotions. I stared at him, my face void of any emotion except despair.

**"I'm done here." **I muttered quietly and slipped out of the bed, leaving the hospital after changing into some other clothes in the bathroom stationed next to my room. I exited the hospital, ignoring the protests from the nurses. Hailing a taxi, I gave it directions back to the Davis' house. I didn't think I was going to be accepted back into SPR any time soon and I had to prepare for my concert the day-after-tomorrow.

Walking up to my room, I packed my bags and gathered all my work, slipping it into a black folder, similar to Naru's. I grabbed my duffel bag and stormed downstairs, leaving a short note for Luella and Martin before heading out the front door. A cab pulled up in front of me and I got in, giving him the directions of the Grosvenor Hotel. I had decided to stay there under the pretense of Taylor Veran. I paid the driver and slipped out of the cab, glancing around for passerby's before slipping on my usual mask.

After doing so, I grabbed all my stuff and walked into the lobby, earning gasps and squeals from many of the people surrounding me. My shows in Japan had been aired all over the world, so it was no surprise that these people recognized me. Ignoring the chaos around me, I checked in and flashed a smile to the flustered bellman, who managed a weak smile back. Not until I was in my suite, door locked, did I remove my mask.

I decided before anything, I would take a bath to calm myself down. Stripping my clothes and taking care not to stretch any of my wounds too much, I slipped into the now full bathtub, releasing a long sigh of contentment. I replayed the conversation that took place not thirty minutes ago, and put my head in my hands, staying motionless for a few moments.

_"I'm sorry that I love you, Oliver Davis!" _I groaned at my stupidity and dunked my head underwater, trying to rid him from my thoughts.

(Time Skip) Day of the Concert...

"**Um, yes, that's fine.**" I muttered, waving my hand around. The employee in front of me shuffled nervously but nodded and set the mike in the center of the stage. Today was the day. I took in a deep breath and stood up, walking around to make sure everything was in place. Once that was done, I clapped my hands and dismissed everyone, claiming the work to be done.

I flew up the stairs and ran into my room, excited despite the fact that the entire SPR crew including Naru, would be watching my performance. This was my first concert out of Japan and I wasn't going to mess it up. Quickly splashing some water on my face, I dressed in my outfit which consisted out a black halter top, dark blue skinny jeans, and my trusty boots. I pulled my hair up into a high ponytail, swiping on some makeup before grabbing my mask and list of songs.

In less than an hour, almost the entire auditorium was filled with people chattering excitedly about the upcoming performances. I took in a deep breath and glanced in the mirror just incase I had to do any last minute touch-ups. I heard Brittany whisper that I was up. This was it, I was on.

The lights were off but I easily and soundlessly moved onto stage. Surprising, huh? Clumsy Mai can move in the dark without tripping? But I had a lot of practice with previous concerts, so it wasn't too hard as long as I knew where everything was. I adjusted my mike-band and gave a thumbs up to the lights people. The music started and I started swaying with the beat and humming as my fans cheered loudly.

**That's What You Get- Paramore**

**No sir, well I don't wanna be the blame, not anymore.**

**It's your turn, so take a seat we're settling the final score.**  
><strong>And why do we like to hurt, so much?<strong>

**I can't decide**  
><strong>You have made it harder just to go on<strong>  
><strong>And why, all the possibilities <strong>  
><strong>Well I was wrong<strong>

**That's what you get when you let your heart win, whoa.**  
><strong>That's what you get when you let your heart win, whoa.<strong>  
><strong>I drowned out all my sense with the sound of its beating.<strong>  
><strong>And that's what you get when you let your heart win, whoa.<strong>

I started dancing, following the routine I had practiced and encouraged people to sing along. The audience happily complied.

**I wonder, how am I supposed to feel when you're not here.**  
><strong>Cause I burned every bridge I ever built when you were here.<strong>  
><strong>I still try holding on to silly things, I never learn<strong>  
><strong>Oh why, all the possibilities I'm sure you've heard.<strong>

**That's what you get when you let your heart win, whoa.**  
><strong>That's what you get when you let your heart win, whoa.<strong>  
><strong>I drowned out all my sense with the sound of its beating (beating)<strong>  
><strong>And that's what you get when you let your heart win, whoa.<strong>

**Pain make your way to me, to me.**  
><strong>And I'll always be just so (so) inviting.<strong>  
><strong>If I ever start to think straight,<strong>  
><strong>This heart will start a riot in me,<strong>  
><strong>Let's start, start, hey!<strong>

**Why do we like to hurt so much?**  
><strong>Oh why do we like to hurt so much?<strong>

**That's what you get when you let your heart win!**  
><strong>Whoa.<strong>

**That's what you get when you let your heart win, whoa.**  
><strong>That's what you get when you let your heart win, whoa.<strong>

**Now I can't trust myself with anything but this,**  
><strong>And that's what you get when you let your heart win, whoa.<strong>

I grinned and waved at the audience who quieted down, but started screaming again when the next song started.

**Born For This- Paramore**

**Oh no I just keep on falling**  
><strong>(Back to the same old…)<strong>  
><strong>And where's hope when misery comes crawling?<strong>  
><strong>(Oh my way, Ay…)<strong>  
><strong>With your faith you'll trigger a landslide<strong>  
><strong>(victory)<strong>  
><strong>To kill off this common sense of mind<strong>

I stood in the middle of the stage, singing to my heart's content, only partially aware of the people in front of me. I felt as if I was born for this.

**It takes acquired minds to taste, to taste, to taste this wine**  
><strong>You can't down it with your eyes<strong>  
><strong>So we don't need the headlines<strong>  
><strong>We don't need the headlines<strong>  
><strong>We just want…<strong>

**(We want the airwaves back, we want the airwaves back)**

**Everybody sing like it's the last song you will ever sing**  
><strong>Tell me, tell me, do you feel the pressure now?<strong>  
><strong>Everybody live like it's the last day you will ever see<strong>  
><strong>Tell me, tell me, do you feel the pressure now?<strong>

**Right now you're the only reason**  
><strong>(I'm not letting go, oh…)<strong>  
><strong>And time out if everyone's worth pleasing<strong>  
><strong>(Well ha-ha!)<strong>  
><strong>You'll trigger a landslide <strong>  
><strong>(Victory)<strong>  
><strong>to kill off their finite state of mind<strong>

**It takes acquired minds to taste, to taste, to taste this wine**  
><strong>You can't down it with your eyes<strong>  
><strong>So we don't need the headlines<strong>  
><strong>No, we don't want your headlines<strong>  
><strong>We just want…<strong>

**(We want the airwaves back, we want the airwaves back)**

**Everybody sing like it's the last song you will ever sing**  
><strong>Tell me, tell me, do you feel the pressure now?<strong>  
><strong>Everybody live like it's the last day you will ever see<strong>  
><strong>Tell me, tell me, do you feel the pressure now?<strong>  
><strong>Everybody sing like it's the last song you will ever sing<strong>  
><strong>Tell me, tell me, do you feel the pressure?<strong>

**Alright, so you think you're ready?**  
><strong>Ok, then you say this with me<strong>  
><strong>Go!<strong>  
><strong>We were born for this<strong>  
><strong>We were born for this<strong>  
><strong>Alright, so you think you're ready?<strong>  
><strong>OK, then you say this with me<strong>  
><strong>Go!<strong>  
><strong>We were born for this<strong>  
><strong>We were born for this<strong>  
><strong>We were born for this<strong>  
><strong>We were born for this<strong>

**We were born for**  
><strong>We were born for<strong>

**Everybody sing like it's the last song you will ever sing**  
><strong>Tell me, tell me, can you feel the pressure?<strong>  
><strong>Everybody live like it's the last day you will ever see<strong>  
><strong>Tell me, tell me, can you feel the pressure now?<strong>  
><strong>Everybody sing like it's the last song you will ever sing<strong>  
><strong>Tell me, tell me, can you feel the pressure?<strong>  
><strong>Tell me, tell me, can you feel the pressure?<strong>

**We were born for this**  
><strong>We were born for this<strong>  
><strong>We were born for this<strong>

As the song finished up, I waved my hands in the air to get the audience's attention.

**"This next song is dedicated to a certain someone in my life!" **Some of the guys in the audience were practically bawling when they finally figured out what song it was when the music started up again. I smirked in their direction and I think some of them passed out.

**Emergency- Paramore**

**I think we have an emergency**  
><strong>I think we have an emergency<strong>

**If you thought I'd leave, then you were wrong**  
><strong>Cause I won't stop holding on<strong>

**So are you listening?**  
><strong>So are you watching me?<strong>

I gazed intently in Naru's direction as I sang those two lines, finally spotting him in the audience. I quickly glanced away before he or any other SPR members noticed.

**If you thought I'd leave, then you were wrong**  
><strong>Cause I won't stop holding on.<strong>

**This is an emergency**  
><strong>So are you listening?<strong>

**And I can't pretend that I don't see this**

**it's really not your fault**  
><strong>When no one cares to talk about it<strong>  
><strong>[To talk about it]<strong>

**Cause I've seen love die**  
><strong>Way too many times<strong>  
><strong>When it deserved to be alive (deserved to be alive)<strong>  
><strong>I've seen you cry<strong>  
><strong>Way too many times<strong>  
><strong>When you deserved to be alive (alive)<strong>

**So you give up every chance you get**  
><strong>just to feel new again<strong>  
><strong>I think we have an emergency<strong>  
><strong>I think we have an emergency<strong>

**And you do your best to show me love,**  
><strong>but you don't know what love is.<strong>

**So are you listening?**  
><strong>So are you watching me?<strong>

**Well I can't pretend that I don't see this**

**But it's really not your fault**  
><strong>When no one cares to talk about it<strong>  
><strong>[to talk about it?]<strong>

**Cause I've seen love die**  
><strong>Way too many times<strong>  
><strong>When it deserved to be alive (deserved to be alive)<strong>  
><strong>I've seen you cry<strong>  
><strong>Way too many times<strong>  
><strong>When you deserved to be alive (alive)<strong>

**Scars, they will not fade away.**

**No one cares to talk about it, can we talk about it?**

**Cause I've seen love die**  
><strong>Way too many times<strong>  
><strong>When it deserved to be alive (deserved to be alive)<strong>  
><strong>I've seen you cry<strong>  
><strong>Way too many times<strong>  
><strong>When you deserved to be alive (alive)<strong>

**"I'm going to slow things down a bit if you all don't mind!" **I yelled out. The audience roared in response. **"Everyone grab a partner! I want to see everyone out of their seats!" **I said this just to have a little bit of fun, and especially to see what Naru and Lin would do. I was positive Ayako and Bou-san would pair up. So would John and Masako. Everyone stood and started looking for a partner as the music started and the lights dimmed.

**The Only Exception- Paramore**

**When I was younger I saw my daddy cry**  
><strong>and curse at the wind.<strong>  
><strong>He broke his own heart and I watched<strong>  
><strong>as he tried to reassemble it.<strong>

**And my momma swore**  
><strong>that she would never let herself forget.<strong>  
><strong>And that was the day that I promised<strong>  
><strong>I'd never sing of love if it does not exist.<strong>

**But darling,**  
><strong>You are the only exception.<strong>  
><strong>You are the only exception.<strong>  
><strong>You are the only exception.<strong>  
><strong>You are the only exception.<strong>

People swayed in their spots with their partners. I saw a girl cling to Naru and almost laughed out loud at the look of horror on his face. Lin and Madoka were slowly dancing. I smiled wistfully at the love on their faces.

**Maybe I know somewhere**  
><strong>deep in my soul<strong>  
><strong>that love never lasts.<strong>  
><strong>And we've got to find other ways<strong>  
><strong>to make it alone.<strong>  
><strong>Or keep a straight face.<strong>  
><strong>And I've always lived like this<strong>  
><strong>keeping a comfortable distance.<strong>  
><strong>And up until now I've sworn to myself<strong>  
><strong>that I'm content with loneliness.<strong>

**Because none of it was ever worth the risk.**

**Well you are the only exception.**  
><strong>You are the only exception.<strong>  
><strong>You are the only exception.<strong>  
><strong>You are the only exception.<strong>  
><strong>You are the only exception.<strong>

**I've got a tight grip on reality,**  
><strong>but I can't let go of what's in front of me here.<strong>  
><strong>I know you're leaving in the morning<strong>  
><strong>when you wake up.<strong>  
><strong>Leave me with some kind of proof it's not a dream.<strong>

**You are the only exception. _[x4]_**

**You are the only exception. _[x4]_**

**And I'm on my way to believing.**  
><strong>Oh, and I'm on my way to believing.<strong>

* * *

><p><strong><em>The rest of the concert will be continued in the next chapter! Happy New Years everybody! Please R&amp;R!<em>  
><strong>


	7. Chapter 7

_**I do not own Ghost Hunt!**_

* * *

><p>Mai's POV-<p>

I smiled as the song came to an end, chuckling softly when I saw Naru push the girl away and sit down, fuming silently. I waved my hand and the audience was focused on me again. The music started and I pulled the guitar towards me, the crowd roaring at this action. Smirking, I blew a kiss out towards the audience and a couple guys fainted.

**Right Here- Jhene**

**Yeahh yeahh yeah**  
><strong>Ohh oh oh oh yeahh<strong>

**I will be right here**  
><strong>I will be right here<strong>

**First Verse:**  
><strong>Every time you feel alone<strong>  
><strong>And you need a friend<strong>  
><strong>Somebody you can talk to<strong>  
><strong>You think nobody cares<strong>  
><strong>And you don't know what to do<strong>  
><strong>I'll be the one who hears you<strong>  
><strong>And I'll make this a promise<strong>  
><strong>Baby you can count on me<strong>  
><strong>Whatever you need<strong>  
><strong>I'll never let you down<strong>

**Chorus:**  
><strong>Just take your time<strong>  
><strong>I'll take it slow<strong>  
><strong>You know that I'll be here for you<strong>  
><strong>Don't worry<strong>  
><strong>Have no fear<strong>  
><strong>I will always be right here <strong>  
><strong>I will be right here (Always be right here) <strong>  
><strong>I will be right here<strong>

**Second Verse:**  
><strong>The way you make me laugh<strong>  
><strong>The little things you do<strong>  
><strong>Nobody can compare to you<strong>  
><strong>When I can't find words to say<strong>  
><strong>You hear me anyway*<strong>  
><strong>It's so amazing what your love can do <strong>

**Hook:**  
><strong>And I'll make this a promise<strong>  
><strong>Baby you can count on me<strong>  
><strong>Whatever you need<strong>  
><strong>I'll never let you down<strong>

**Chorus:**  
><strong>Just take your time<strong>  
><strong>I'll take it slow<strong>  
><strong>You know that I'll be here for you<strong>  
><strong>Don't worry<strong>  
><strong>Have no fear<strong>  
><strong>I will always be right here (I will be right here)<strong>

**Third Verse:**  
><strong>When they say nothings forever (Say nothings forever)<strong>  
><strong>And everything good has an end<strong>  
><strong>They only believe that <strong>  
><strong>'Cause they never had you for a friend (Never had you for a friend)<strong>

**Chorus:**  
><strong>Just take your time<strong>  
><strong>I'll take it slow<strong>  
><strong>You know that I'll be here for you (I will be here for you)<strong>  
><strong>Don't worry<strong>  
><strong>Have no fear<strong>  
><strong>I will always be right here<strong>  
><strong>I will be right here (Always be right here)<strong>  
><strong>I will be right here (Always be right here)<strong>  
><strong>I will be right here<strong>  
><strong>I will be right here (Always be right here)<strong>  
><strong>I will be right here (Always be right here)<strong>  
><strong>I will be right here (Always be right here)<strong>

I grinned happily as the next song started and I sang to my heart's content. Everything was going great so far. But of course, when I say something like that, fate just has to oppose me. Suddenly the lights started flickering, but thankfully, the crowd didn't pay too much attention to them, thinking it was part of the show. I met Madoka's eyes and she gave me a slight nod, leading SPR out of the crowd so they could do something about the ghost. But before Bou-san, John, or Ayako could start the exorcism, I felt a cold draft next to me. Some of the background dancers noticed it and edged away from the spot along with me. Slowly, a form started to take shape and the man rose up from the floor. Apparently, he wasn't invisible to everybody since the audience started screaming like hell, pushing and shoving each other, trying to get out of the auditorium.

I froze as the man held up a knife to my neck. He grinned maliciously, pricking me with the object. I didn't dare move for fear he would behead me. But then again, I had the choice of staying still while SPR got here and most probably be killed, or use whatever self-defense I knew and try to run. I chose the latter. Ducking down out of the knife's reach, I started the nine cuts:

"Rin! Pyo! To! Sha! Kai! Jin! Restsu! Zai! Zen!" The ghost screamed and backed up, giving me time to make my escape. I bolted towards the edge of the stage and jumped off, rolling on the ground and coming up on one knee like a spy. SPR came running, faster than before since the entire hall was empty.

**"Ms. Veran! Look out!" **John yelled, not knowing I was Mai. Well, of course, if they knew, they would be shoving me out the doors with Ayako or Masako to go back to base since I would probably get in the way.

**"Stand back!" **I screamed, knowing the man was out for blood and willing to kill anyone who neared me. But John being the nice man he was, ignored me and right when he touched my shoulder, was blown across the room and into the wall. He hit it with a loud thump and slumped to the ground, unconscious.

"John!" Masako screamed in horror, running over to him. She looked back at me with tears in her eyes. "Do something!" I nodded, ignoring the questioning looks of the unaware people and stood up, facing the ghost. Someone else touched my back and they were thrown across the room as well. I whipped around and say Naru fighting to stay conscious. My blood boiled at this action and I stared with pure fury at the ghost, the air around me crackling with energy. The ghost seemed to enjoy my reaction for he threw the rest of SPR across the room, and they lay down, groaning in pain. Winds started to form, growing stronger and stronger.

**"Noll!" **Lin snapped. But Naru shook his head, staring at me. All of them gaped in astonishment as my power grew to its peak and my mask fell off. But I was still turned away so they could not tell it was me.

**"You can attack me." **I started in a low voice. **"But you don't attack my friends..._ever._" **Then a loud scream and a flash of white light later, the ghost was gone. Quickly, I swooped to the ground and placed my mask back on my face, making sure nobody saw anything. A blurry figure came closer and when it was clear, I gasped.

**"Evelyn!" **She smiled warmly at me.

_**"Thank you. You freed me at last." **_I beamed.

**"Move on, now. You're good to go." **Evelyn nodded and faded away into little particles that rose into the air, vanishing without a trace. My vision blurred and I stumbled around a bit before falling to the ground out of my excessive PK use. And all I saw was darkness.

Naru's POV-

When I opened my eyes again, the celebrity was stumbling around and finally fell to the ground with a soft thump. Ayako was the first one to overcome her shock as she ran over and checked the young girl over for any external fatal injuries. Lin quickly dialed 9-1-1 and called for an ambulance. They were here in a matter of minutes and quickly loaded Taylor into the van along with John who was still unconscious. They made the rest of us pile into a different one to make sure we weren't injured and sped off towards the hospital.

Once there, all of were given a quick checkup and released in about half-an-hour. They kept John overnight for his head injury, but we were able to sign him out the next day. But Taylor hadn't woken up yet. All the girls insisted that we stayed until one of her guardians came to look after her and sign her out. I glared at them, but none of them would budge. Then immediately afterwards, they kicked the rest of us out of the room and shut the door behind them.

"Does anyone have any idea what they're up to?" Takigawa questioned, staring confused at the door. John shrugged and sat down in one of the waiting chairs. I followed his example, pulling out my black binder as well. Glancing around once to make sure nobody was looking, I opened up a tab and stared down at the page. A picture was pasted in there, one Madoka took when Mai and I were both unaware. It was in one of our previous cases after she had one of 'those' dreams and she hugged me. Surprisingly, I didn't know what had come over me and I hugged her back. Madoka had snapped a picture at that moment. I sighed, remembering when she stormed out of the hospital a few days ago. I can't believe I was so stupid. She needed comforting at that time, not reprimanding!

The sound of someone running alerted me and I snapped my head up, shutting the binder. Brittany screeched to a halt in front of us and stared at me wildly.

"Where's M- Taylor? Where is she? Is she alright?" she exclaimed frantically, grabbing my shoulders and shaking me. I glared at her and she froze slightly before letting go and turning to John who gestured towards the room. Ignoring our confused looks, she threw open the door and ran in. All of us followed her, hoping she didn't do anything crazy to the patient. When we walked in Taylor was sitting up, trying to comfort Brittany who was almost hysterical out of fear.

**"Brittany, please, all's well now." **she soothed. Brittany looked up at her, her face tear-stricken.

**"But what if you got hurt even more? I told you not to use you PK under any circumstances!" **Taylor frowned at the woman.

**"You expect to me just stand there and watch while they all got hurt?" **Brittany shifted in her place.

**"I know they all mean a lot to you, but it doesn't matter even if they are like your family! They don't know anything!"**

**"Brittany!" **Taylor snapped. We stared at the two of them curiously. What did Brittany mean by 'family'? **"I acted on my own volition. I wanted to save them so I did." "Now please, leave us for a little bit." **She added coolly, her eyes hardening. Brittany, huffed, turned on her heel, and marched out the door. All was silent until Madoka spoke up.

**"Um, M- Taylor. What should we do?" **Madoka asked nervously. She had the look on her face that she was hiding something. Taylor shrugged and I decided it was my turn to speak up.

**"Ms. Veran, I understand that you have a high level of PK." **Taylor nodded. **"Can you please explain what your relation to the psychic world is?" **She stiffened, but opened her mouth to answer.

**"Sometime when I was three, I came to realize that both my parents were psychics. My mother was a powerful medium and my father was a level 15 PK user." **My eyes widened at this statement. **"I started uncovering my powers around that time as well. Two good friends of my parents who live in England helped me along with my parents to control my powers. Once my parents passed away, I continued training in secret, but still getting help from my parents' friends." **she finished. I frowned slightly, thinking. Who in England would have that sort of ability besides my parents to train someone as strong as this?

**"Who were those two people who trained you?" **Taylor looked uncomfortable.

**"Why do you wish to know?" **

**"I am hoping they will be of use in some our future cases that my team and I will receive. It is of utmost importance that I know who these people are." **Taylor looked away.

**"I refuse to answer." **I mentally sighed out of frustration. Why couldn't she just be cooperative and answer my questions? She was just like Mai in some ways.

**"Why?" **

**"I have my reasons that I wish to keep private if you don't mind, Mr. Davis." **she snapped, clearly growing irritated by my persistence.

**"I need to meet them and your parents, if that's not a problem." **Taylor glared at me.

**"And I'm telling you, that is a problem."**

**"What-"**

**"I will call my lawyer in her, Mr. Davis, if you do not stop questioning me." **she interrupted sternly. **"Is this your way of thanking me for saving your's and your co-workers' lives?" **I stayed silent. Taylor sighed angrily and looked sideways at Ayako.

**"Ms. Matsuzaki?" **Ayako looked up.

**"Yes, Taylor?" **

**"Can you please hand me my cup of water? My throat is parched."** Taylor smiled her thanks and downed the glass, handing it back to Ayako who set it down on the table. We stood there in silence for a minute before Taylor spoke again, her voice much softer.

**"Mr. Davis, I apologize for my previous tone of voice. It was wrong of me to be so harsh." **I didn't respond, trying to figure something out. When Taylor looked up at me, my eyes widened. Her eyes were a soft, caramel color...the same as Mai's. Now when I thought about it. Taylor and Mai had a lot in common. They both had the same type of eyes and hair. They were both about the same height and neither of them were afraid to yell at me. I frowned and looked back at the celebrity who was chatting softly with the girls. She did remind me a lot of Mai...

**"oll, Noll, Noll!" **My head snapped up and I looked towards Lin who walked towards me**. **"Did you notice the similarities between Taniyama-san and **Ms. Veran**?" I nodded. So I wasn't the only one.

"What should we do?" Lin looked down at me in surprise.

"I wasn't aware we were going to do something." He looked at my determined face and sighed. "You really love Taniyama-san, don't you?"

"What?" I exclaimed in shock, a little louder than necessary. Everyone looked at me strangely. But one ice glare later and they were all back to their conversations.

"Why would you think that?" I muttered, looking away embarrassed. "She's loud and annoying. She sleeps all the time, but I guess sometimes it helps since she has those dreams. Well, one good things about her is her tea, but that wouldn't make me love her. She's always late and makes a terrible racket when she runs into the office."

"When she's gone, it's finally quiet but for some reason it feels empty. And I start to feel like I'm missing something. And whenever she gets into trouble at the cases, it gets to be a bother, but I feel so worried. And when she gets hurt, my blood boils and I feel like destroying whatever caused her pain. Even myself since sometimes I yell at her. And a few days ago, I said something really insensitive and now I don't know where she is. I am fully responsible for that, but I miss her so much and I wish I could take what I said back and comfort her instead." I stopped, surprised at what had just came out of my mouth. Lin nodded.

"And that, Noll, is what love is." And he walked out of the room, saying he needed to make a call. I stared numbly after him and thought back to the picture in my binder. Is it true? Do I really love Taniyama Mai?

* * *

><p><strong><em>Yes, I know it's short. No flames please. So, the case is finally over, but they still don't know where 'Mai' is. Stay tuned for the next chapter! :) Please R&amp;R!<em>**


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